LETTER: Where is Ramaphosa’s outrage at threats to Uganda’s Bobi Wine?

As head of the AU why is Cyril Ramaphosa silent about Uganda? Where’s the outrage over the house arrest, detention and intimidation of Bobi Wine, the main challenger in the recent Ugandan elections? More than a week after the elections the Ugandan army was still blockading his house, barring people and the press from entering. This despite a high court ruling that Wine's continued house arrest was illegal and unconstitutional.

Where’s the outrage from our international relations minister, Naledi Pandor, who is quick to criticise a true democracy such as Israel that has had three free and fair elections and is heading for a fourth in March. She has the audacity to justify her lack of response by saying that SA doesn’t interfere in the domestic affairs of other sovereign states!

Is it not a blot on Africa when a president who has been in power since 1986 is re-elected in a rigged poll during which the freedom of movement of its main opposition candidate was impeded? Are there no limits on the amount of time African presidents can remain in power? Or is this simply a reflection of our president’s lack of regard for democracy and the will of the people?

The silence of Ramaphosa and the governing ANC on this charade and abuse of power attests to their indifference and confirms they have lost all credibility as promoters of democracy.

Ben Levitas
Oranjezicht

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